Is the CT Scan Most Effective at Diagnosing Appendicitis in Children?

Appendicitis is often a painful complication in children that can be, fortunately, treated with a simple surgical procedure. All too often, however, children are misdiagnosed as suffering from some other health complication, primarily due to the misdiagnosis appendicitis symptoms which are similar to other childhood ailments. Ultimately, this misdiagnosis leads to greater health complications in children who actually do suffer from appendicitis.

As a parent, we usually understand the early warning signs of appendicitis in our child. However, upon arrival to a healthcare facility, we rely upon the diagnostic technology to accurately diagnose the complication in children. Frequently, these diagnostic tools include CT and sonogram. However, without proper application of the diagnostic tools, research has shown many children are diagnosed with appendicitis too late, resulting in major health complications, or they are diagnosed with an appendicitis when one does not exist, resulting in the unnecessary surgical procedures.

The ultrasound technology used to diagnose appendicitis in children can be relatively inaccurate due to the lack of appendix visibility on examination coupled with the subjective based interpretation and examination by the ultrasound technician. As a result, many healthcare professionals are turning to CT scan as an alternative to the ultrasound; however this also poses some degree of health risk in children.